Newcastle Eagles hammer Surrey United 115-71

Newcastle Eagles have managed to get their league title bid back on track in emphatic fashion after yesterday completing a mauling of hapless basement dwellers Surrey United

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Newcastle Eagles star Scott Martin

Newcastle Eagles have managed to get their league title bid back on track in emphatic fashion after yesterday completing a mauling of hapless basement dwellers Surrey United.

After two weeks of BBL inaction which left Flournoy and his players stewing in the bitter juices of a disappointing home loss to Worcester, the Eagles returned to the court showing a real mean streak.

Without a win to their name all season, United were always going to be cannon fodder and, after a pedestrian opening, they felt the full force of a relentless assault by the Eagles who, aside from easing off in the closing stages, made light work of dominating the game.

The home fans at Surrey Sports Park had been dreaming of a first victory and a seismic-scale upset when their team initially kept pace, but a familiar pattern was soon to follow as the Eagles took complete control in a predictably one-sided contest.

Leading by just a point midway through the first quarter at 15-14, the Eagles ramped up their defence and focused on stopping United danger man Ceslovas Kucinskas, which caused Surrey to soon go into meltdown.

It was not long before the Eagles began to build up a big advantage and they were up by double digits after a huge three-pointer by Malik Cooke on the buzzer gave them a 33-21 lead after ten minutes.

When the Eagles then exploded with a 16-2 run at the start of the second quarter, it was game over before the teams had even sipped their half-time tea as United buckled under the pressure and failed to convert with any kind of regularity.

Paul Gause had been at the heart of most of the best work from the visiting side and he had 15 points to his name as the Eagles headed into the interval with a mammoth 60-33 advantage and essentially with another two BBL Championship points in the bag.

It was exhibition time when the play resumed after the break, the Eagles toying with their opponents who were second best in every department.

Gause caught the eye again as the Eagles wrapped up another rampant period with a big triple on the buzzer at the end of the third period.

The playmaker sunk a spectacular shot with time ticking down from just inside his own half and, leading 98-51, the Eagles understandably took their foot off the throttle as the game petered out.

United just shaded the final quarter but, with Flournoy able to dish out minutes to all members of his roster and with a banana skin safely negotiated, there was little to be dissatisfied with by the time the final buzzer put Surrey out of their misery.

Gause combined for 49 points with starlet Scott Martin continuing his impressive streak of form for the Eagles after finishing with an impressive double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds.

The Eagles’ attention now turns to next weekend and a hugely-important double-header against the Giants at Sport Central in the league on Friday followed by a BBL Cup quarter-final clash at Glasgow Rocks 48 hours later.